Shamva

Shamva is a village in the province of Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mazowe valley about 90 km north-east of Harare. It is an area with fertile soils hence there is high farming activity.According to the 1982 Population Census, the village had a population of 4,617. People have been living in this area before European settlers came in.The village was established in 1895 when gold was discovered in the area. It was originally known as Abercorn but was changed to avoid confusion with Abercorn (now Mbala) in Zambia. The name Shamva is derived from Tsamvi a tree common in that region. Early settlers could not pronounce Tsamvi hence changed it to Shamva. In the First Chimurenga many of the settlers died in an attack on the village. The railway arrived in the town in 1913.It is also where many African people died in fight for the struggle of independence. A vast majority of the population survives through gold panning. The area is rich in alluvial gold and most of it is found along the Mazowe basin. Gold panning is the greatest threat to the environment in the area. Shamva residents get their water supply from Mazowe river which runs about 5 km from Wadzanai Township.